Did missing Indian-origin student drown in Dominican Republic? Or was she kidnapped?

A 20-year-old Indian-American student has gone missing while on a vacation in the Dominican Republic.

Sudiksha Konanki, an Indian citizen with permanent residency in the US, went missing on March 6.

US federal law enforcement agencies are working with authorities in the Caribbean country on the investigation into her disappearance.

While some reports claim she may have drowned on a beach, her family suspects kidnapping.

Here’s all we know about her.

The missing complaint

Sudiksha Konanki is a resident of Loudoun County, Virginia and a student at the University of Pittsburgh.

She was vacationing with five female college friends at a resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) said in a statement Monday.

She was last seen in the early morning of March 6.

The LCSO said it continues to assist and support the US federal law enforcement agencies to determine Konanki’s whereabouts and what may have happened to her.

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International agencies, including the FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, and the University of Pittsburgh police, are assisting with the case. The Indian Embassy in the Dominican Republic has taken diplomatic charge.

The Dominican National Police are now interrogating multiple individuals, including her friends and other resort guests, while officials are reviewing surveillance footage from nearby resorts.

“The ongoing investigation includes wide-ranging search efforts, along with a review of surveillance video and telephone records. Interviews are also continuing with anyone who may have seen or been with Konanki before she went missing,” the LCSO statement said.

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It added that the LCSO has filed for a Yellow Notice (worldwide police alert for a missing person) to be issued by Interpol.

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Reports of drowning

According to ABC News, three Dominican officials involved in the investigation told the outlet “over the weekend that Konanki is believed to have drowned in the ocean.”

The report quoted two police sources with knowledge as saying that the 20-year-old’s clothes were discovered on a “portable beach bed close to the beach where she went missing."

The police have found no evidence of violence, according to sources.

The report said that Konanki and her friends were partying at a resort nightclub until 3 am before heading to the beach around 4 am local time on Thursday. Later, the other women went back to their hotel at about 5.55 am, the security cameras showed.

“A man stayed behind with Konanki on the beach,” according to a Dominican Republic investigative police report.

“The man told police that he and Konanki went for a swim and got caught by a big wave, the police report said,” according to the ABC News report.

Joshua Steven Ribe, a 24-year-old tourist from Iowa, is understood to have told the police that when he got back to the beach, he threw up and went to sleep on a beach bed, as per Dominican news outlet El Nacional.

“When he woke up, Konanki was nowhere to be seen,” the report said.

As per ABC, security cameras showed Ribe coming back to his hotel room at 9:55 am.

Despite this, he is reportedly still “not considered a suspect in Konanki’s death."

According to the New York Post, Konanki’s friends waited nearly 12 hours before reporting her missing at 4 pm.

Officials said her friends were also questioned by the police and have not been charged with crimes, the report said.

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Family fears kidnapping

As the search continues for the fourth day, Konanki’s father, Subbarayudu, has formally requested an expanded investigation, fearing that she may have been kidnapped.

“It’s four days, and if she was in the water, she would likely have been strewn to shore. She’s not found, so we’re asking them to investigate multiple options, like kidnapping or abduction,” he told WTOP-TV.

The family also finds it unusual that Konanki’s phone and wallet were left with her friends, as she always carried her phone with her.

Family friend Ramprakash Krishnamanaidu said, “If she’s not in the water, they couldn’t find her in the resorts, they couldn’t find her in the hospitals—then where is she?”

The LCSO cautioned against drawing any unsubstantiated conclusions, saying there has been considerable public speculation about what may have happened to Konanki and who may be involved.

“We caution anyone from drawing any unsubstantiated conclusions and are committed to ensuring that a thorough investigation is conducted before any conclusions are reached,” it said.

With inputs from PTI